Emails Between Friends
by LaceyLouLou82
Summary: Logan reaches out to Veronica. Set after she helps him with his search for his mother. Everything after that is totally AU/AH


**AN: This is my first VM fic. I only recently got swept up thanks to the loveliness that is Soap Net **** I am completely in love with LoVe **** I even made my poor husband search high and low for all three seasons for me on DVD **** Best Xmas present…ever **** Anyway, I don't know where this idea came from but it's been nagging me for a couple of days so I just sat down and let it write itself. I am not sure how I feel about it and I am not a good writer at all, but here it is anyway. I have the entire story outlined and will try to get the next part written and posted within the next week or so. Please leave me a review, good or bad. I really wanna know what you think **

_**Veronica,**_

_**I don't even know if this is still your email address but I had to take a chance. I hope that it is because I really need someone to talk to. Someone that I can trust and despite everything that has happened, I do trust you. Probably more than anyone and probably more than I should.**_

_**I just want to thank you for helping me with the search for my mom. Even though it turned out like you probably thought it would, you were kind enough not to say I told you so. I appreciate that even though you have every right to do so. I also appreciate all the work you put into the case. I know you would have rather done anything else. **_

_**I was really hoping I was right, Veronica. I really, really was. Now I have all this disappointment and no idea what to do with it. I don't want to be the guy I was before. The guy who took out his crap on everyone else. Mostly you. Saying I am sorry to you doesn't seem like enough but it's really all I have and I hope you will accept it. That and a promise not to be a jackass to you anymore. Not intentionally anyway. Sometimes, it's just a natural state of events with me, you know.**_

_**So, I saw you and Duncan together after school yesterday. He looked happy, he always looks happy when you are around. So I guess, does that mean you two are back together? I don't remember much from the night of the dance, but I remember seeing D with Meg Manning and you were with that cop guy right? Anyway thanks for your help that night. Trina said that you were a good friend to me that night. I don't remember it but I am sure it is true. You always were a good friend to me. **_

_**Anyway, I just really wanted to thank you. I can't seem to catch up with you before classes because you always seem to be busy or in a hurry so I guess this is the next best thing. Thanks again, Veronica. For everything.**_

_**Logan**_

I clicked the option to send the email quickly before I could talk myself out of it and then closed out my email account. I didn't even know if she would ever see the damn thing anyway. For all I know, she changed her email address the same time she cut her hair and traded in her girly wardrobe. But she hadn't changed her cell number so maybe the same was true of her email address.

Pulling up my WORD document, I got to work on my assignment for Journalism class. Veronica would be here any minute as she had the same class this period. Not that we ever really talked during this period. Unless she was questioning me about a case or the two of us were trading witty insults. We haven't done that for a while now. Actually for about two weeks. Since she closed my case. In fact we haven't really said much of anything to one another since then. No insults or snide remarks about what the other says. No evil looks or rolling of the eyes. Just complete indifference, really. She does her thing with her people and I do my thing with my people. It sucks. I don't want the nasty attitudes between us to resume or anything like that, but I wouldn't mind the occasional friendly conversation. I would like to think that the two of us made progress towards building or rebuilding our friendship while she was investigating whether or not my mom was really gone. But since the night of the dance, when I apparently made a drunken appearance, we haven't spoken a single word to one another.

That was the reason for my email to her. I was trying to make the first move. Trying to show Veronica that things weren't going to go back to business as usual, at least not on my end. I wanted us to be friends again. It took spending time with her to see just how much I had missed her.

"Hey, man." I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize that Duncan had taken his usual seat at the computer station next to mine. He had a dejected look on his face. Obviously he was back to being the same old moody Duncan he was before the dance.

"What's up? Why so glum? "

"Veronica. " Of course because it couldn't possibly be anything else. Not with Duncan. Before I could even respond he continued as he waited for his computer to boot up. "I thought my being with Meg at the dance would get a reaction out of her, but nothing. "

What the hell? "So you were using Meg to make Veronica jealous? " That is so totally not a Duncan move. That's a move I would make.

He nodded and let out a frustrated sigh as he typed his password into the school mainframe and watched his settings load. "She couldn't care less though. I even tried to talk to her about old times yesterday but she just said that they good times and she would never forget. What the hell does that even mean? She is just over it? Over me? "

I had to press my lips together, hard, to keep the smile off my face. It definitely seems as though Veronica Mars is officially over Duncan Kane. I never thought I would see the day. "It's been awhile¸DK. Did you really expect her to pine away for you forever? "

"Maybe." And people called me conceited.

The bell rang signaling the start of the class and Veronica and two other students swept into the room quickly. Veronica made her way to the back of the room where the photography station was and pulled her camera out of her ever present bag. Duncan and I both watched as she released her memory card before hanging the camera strap around her neck. She walked towards us and sat at the computer station in front of me, facing us. "What are you two looking at?" Damn. Busted.

"No…nothing," Duncan stammered out with his squeaky voice. Ugh. Sometimes I wonder why he is my best friend. He can be downright pathetic.

Rolling my eyes, I took mercy on him. "We were just talking about maybe asking if you wanted to work with us on this project. Since you have that big fancy camera and everything. You can take care of the photo collage, DK can do the background research and I will write the actual articles. What do you think, _Mars_?"

Her eyes jerked from me to Duncan and back again and then she nodded, "That sounds good. " She reached out and pressed the button to power on the computer and then handed Duncan her memory card. "Since you are doing the research, here are some of the pictures I took at Dog Beach yesterday afternoon. I didn't really choose a theme yet but there was a kid's birthday party going on, a homeless man trying to catch some sort of something at the edge of the water, a bunch of random couples messing around and a couple of teenagers up to no good. I took shots of everything I saw. If you don't wanna use anything I will have time tomorrow afternoon to go to another location. "Duncan took the card and nodded. "Just let me know. "She gave him a small smile before she started typing away at her computer, not even looking up when the teacher clapped her hands to call us to attention.

"Alright people, I know you all want to get to work on your projects but there will be time for that later in the week. Today, I want you guys to watch this documentary," our esteem journalism teacher was interrupted by the chorus of groans which of course I started. She continued anyway, in a firmer and louder voice. "After which you will be quizzed. So take the next ten minutes and use the restroom, close out whatever you were working on before class began and get comfortable. The video will be forty minutes and then you will have ten minutes to complete the quiz. Get moving."

I saved my work and nodded to Duncan when he muttered that he was taking a trip across the hall to the restroom. A shot a quick glance at Veronica as I reached for the button to shut the computer down.

"You've got mail, Echolls." She said simply as she pressed her own power button. So that's what she was doing over there. She got my email. I could wait till I got home to read it but who are we kidding, I have zero amounts of patience. Naturally I pulled my email icon up and logged back onto my account. Sure enough I had one new message.

_**Logan,**_

_**Obviously since I am replying you know that this is still my email address. I have had it forever and it's not worth the trouble of changing it and notifying everyone of said change. Same with my cell. It's all just too much work.**_

_**It means a lot to me that you trust me. I am a little bit surprised but flattered nonetheless. Despite what you think, or thought, you never had a reason to not trust me. Things got complicated after Lilly died, on both of our sides, but I never stopped being someone you could talk to. I wasn't the enemy then and I am not now. I am glad you realize that now. **_

_**You don't have to thank me for helping you. Your mom was always very nice to me. I would never tell you I told you so. A little part of me kind of hoped we would find her. I am sorry that we didn't. I know what it feels like to miss someone. I miss my mom all the time. It's not the same, I know, but I do understand why you wanted to believe that she just left town and was in hiding. Your mom was in a lot of pain. It doesn't excuse the way she choose to deal with it, but it makes it seem like there was a reason at least. I am just so sorry for all that you have been through. I know you don't want to hear that because you are too proud to understand that someone feels bad for you. I don't pity you, but I feel for you. There is a difference. **_

_**Your disappointment is understandable and justified. I don't know what to tell you on how to deal with your emotions because frankly, I never really even know how to deal with my own. You are the only one who can decide how to outlet your feelings. I respect the fact that you no longer aspire to be the biggest jackass on the planet. And there is no need to apologize for past behaviors. I like to think I gave as good as I got **____** Let's just chalk it up to us maturing…scary as that may be. **_

_**No, Duncan and I are not back together. That ship has officially sailed. He has moved on, as have I. Yes, you saw him with Meg. They are kind of cute together and I hope that she makes him happy. I want he and I to be friends and that's what you saw yesterday. Me trying to be his friend. Though he was acting a little weird. Maybe it was just my imagination, though. The cop guy is Leo, my boyfriend. He is a deputy. The dance was kind of our first date and we have been dating ever since. He's a nice guy and if you ever see him again, you should thank him for looking past your public underage drinking.**_

_**I didn't do much for you that night Logan. I just happened to be the only one who knew the reason for your state of drunkenness. Trina did the hard part by getting you home and dealing with the consequences that came with it. I just wanted you to be safe. Friends do that for each other. We are friends now right? We are done with all the insulting and pranking? The rumors, the bongs and the smashed headlights? It's all just so exhausting Logan. I know how you feel about me and my dad and what went down after Lilly died. I am sorry that my dad accused Jake and I am sorry that it turned out that Aaron was the killer. I am sorry for you, for me, for Duncan and for Lilly. Everything got all complicated and messy and I am just sorry. Can we just moved past all of it? We don't have to be BFFs or anything. I just don't want to hate you anymore, Logan. Whatever happens, I am always here if you need to talk. **_

_**Veronica**_

Well damn. I didn't get a chance to respond to her email because the video was starting. I would reply to it when I got home because I definitely have a lot to say. The lights went out as Duncan made his way back into the room. I stood up and moved both of our chairs up next to Veronica who had turned her chair around at her station. I sat my chair next to her and Duncan's next to me. She looked over at me as I sat down. I gave her a small smile as I felt Duncan's confused glare from the other side of me. It didn't matter though. Veronica's blue eyes locked onto my brown ones and nothing else mattered when she lifted her lips into a slight smile. It was a beautiful sight. One that I haven't seen in far too long. It wasn't even a real full on Veronica Mars smile. But it didn't matter. It still kicked me in the gut. If a half smile could impact me like that there is no telling what effect a full one would have. I intended to find out though.


End file.
